Trapped
by Ginevra Magdalene Katnis Eaton
Summary: She has three options: keep her job and a relationship with Alec a secret, quit her job and be with him exclusively, or keep her job and ignore her feelings for him. (Full Summary Inside)
1. Chapter 1

**Twilight - AH - AU - Alec/Isabella - Romance - Isabella is Carlisle and Esme's youngest daughter, Rosalie and Jasper her older twin siblings and Edward, the eldest child who is already married off with a wife and child. The family's struggling for money desperately so she gets a well paid maid job with the Volturi family (the ruling family of England) which consists of Aro and Sulpicia and their two twins, Jane and Alec. Love blossoms between Isabella and Alec but Isabella is not allowed to date him. She has three options: keep her job and a relationship with Alec a secret, quit her job and be with him exclusively, or keep her job and ignore her feelings for him. (C/E, I/A, R/E, J/A)**

'Daddy!' a pretty blonde girl of sixteen yelled as her father was dragged away by some of her brother's father-in-law's officers, her brother's father-in-law was standing in the corner of the room looking at her apologetically, his daughter, her brother's wife, standing next to him sadly. The girls elder brother had his arms tightly around her holding her back as the door slammed shut behind their father. 'He didn't do it! Charlie, you know he didn't.'

'I know,' Charlie, her brother's father-in-law and the Chief of Police, sighed heavily, rubbing a gloved hand across his brow. 'I don't believe that Carlisle was capable of all that but all the evidence points to him and he has no solid alibi. I'd been in huge trouble if I didn't arrest him and it'd be even worse from him. I'm sorry, hun.'

'He's being framed,' the bronze haired man growled out, still holding onto his struggling youngest sister. 'I know my father, he wouldn't, h-he couldn't -'

'Edward,' his wife whispered reaching out to him but something in his face stopped her from going to him.

His attention didn't even turn to her as his little sister suddenly froze and shuddered, tears marring her dirty ivory skin and leaving streaks down her face from her brown eyes and down to drip of her slightly pointed chin.

'How are we going to tell Mum, Edd?' the blonde girl that he was holding onto asked turning around in his arms realising that she couldn't get free or do anything even if she did go after her father, 'and Jazz and Rose?'

Jazz, or Jasper, and Rose, otherwise known as Rosalie, were their other siblings, twins, that filled the gap between the two siblings that were present.

'I don't know, Izzy,' he whispered.

None of the family was really referred to by their real name: Edward was 'Edd', Jasper was 'Jazz', Rosalie was 'Rose', and Izzy's full name was actually 'Isabella', their father Carlisle was usually called 'Carl' by their mother, and her 'Esme' instead of Esmerelle. Telling their mother what had happened would indeed be the worst. Their mother and father had the best relationship, one that both Rosalie and Isabella aspired to have: simple, romantic and beautiful. They trusted each other completely and could do those little couple things were they'd finish each other sentences or just stare at each other but have a full conversation. It was cliché and cheesy but it was perfect. They didn't find the need to kiss twenty-four/seven, a simple squeeze of the hand could say so much, a simple look could convey a thousand words.

'I'll do it,' Charlie spoke up looking pained. 'It's the least I can do. I am so sorry about this, you know, and I will do whatever is in my power to get your father out of this, you have my word.'

'Thank you,' Edward nodded gravely as Isabella pulled from his now loose grasp, plopping herself down on the ratty sofa and his wife moved to take her hand comfortingly.

Edward looked at the two of them and then at the sofa that had been in the house for as long as he'd been alive, which was nineteen years, and now looked like it was going to break any second - it hadn't even been new when his parents had brought it and that had been right after they married - but that was true for most things in the house and Edward found himself wondering what his siblings and mother were going to do now. They weren't a rich family, in fact they were lucky to get three meals a day, the electricity went out frequently because half the time the couldn't pay the bills for it and they hardly ever had heating settling for fires in everyone room of the house. Holding Isabella's arm would have made Edward cringed painfully if he wasn't used to it, for it was mainly just bone - she was so skinny he was sure it was bad for her, he knew it was she got ill so often, but Rosalie, him and Jasper were just the same. Edward was a bit better because he had moved out and the only mouths he had to feed besides his own were his wife's and five month old daughter; his parents had themselves plus three children. Edward wanted to help but his money was only supporting him and Lillian - he refused to let his father give him more salary because, the more money Edward got, the less he did. A thought struck Edward of how his younger siblings and mother were going to manage now with Carlisle gone. His mother was a artist which was on pause because they couldn't afford the supplies, Rosalie had work as a waitress but it was only minimum wage and had low hours since she was working around the college (Rosalie and Jasper were both 18) and Jasper had a after school job teaching younger child fencing but that was only on Thursday nights, the rest of the time he picked up odd jobs whenever he could giving him a range of different skills but not much money and the money he did get mainly went to his girlfriend, Mary-Alice Brandon, who had cancer - he was trying to pay for treatment that her step-mother wouldn't but would save her life. Their father was a pastor at the church, which had been passed down to him from his father and eventually would be passed along to Edward. A low paying job that he had no choice but to take: it was part of being a Cullen - the eldest son always inherited the church, no questions asked.

He heard Isabella sigh and frowned. If anyone would be hit harder and affected more than their mother by what had just happened, it was Isabella, the baby of the family and a complete daddy's girl - Edward could just about remember that their father had been wrapped around her finger from the moment she was born - he was around three at the time. She was his pride and joy even over Rosalie who was like a model and gathered nearly everyone's attention.. Isabella was beautiful as well: tall, like the whole family was, pale and with thick, wavy hair that fell down to her waist. In a way, Edward thought, Isabella was more human that Rosalie, who had the grace of a swan; Isabella was clumsy and blushed at the slightest things, and it wasn't a light blush but a full blown one that covered her face. Edward always believed that Isabella was most like their father as well: she would much rather read a book than go out, would hold up a finger to indicate one minute if she was in the middle of a page, never answering someone if she was, she bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair when she was stressed, twisted a ring she always wore around her finger when she was nervous as their father did with his wedding ring: they were so alike.

'It'll be okay, Isabella,' Lillian, Edward's wife, whispered to her sister-in-law. 'My dad will sort this out, nothing will happen to yours -'

She was about to say more when the door swung open revealing Edward's and Isabella's mother, her caramel hair pulled away from her heart-shaped face. She frowned as they all stared at her.

'What's going on?' her sweet voice asked and she came toward Edward. 'Edward dear, how lovely to see you.'

'You too, Mum,' he stooped down to press a kiss to her cheek, taking hold of her hands. 'How are you? It's feels like it's been ages since I've seen you.'

'That's because it has been, dear,' his mother smiled and he found himself relaxing under her warming presence as he always did.

Esmerelle Cullen was a naturally motherly person and could make anyone feel welcome and loved. Caring just radiated out of her and her nature was so sweet. She was of those mums that only really exist in stories.

'I'm sorry,' Edward smiled down at her kindly, trying to make her as happy as possible before they told her the news but his mother knew him to well and began to glance around the room, taking in Isabella's ruffled clothing, the tear marks on her face, and sad face with Lillian sitting beside her, holding her hand comfortingly and Charlie leaning beside the door with his arms crossed.

The tension rose fast.

A frown marred her face, 'is there something going on?'

'Esmerelle, please,' Charlie spoke when no one else did, keeping good on his word to tell their mother the news, and Esmerelle's face began to panic. 'Sit down. I have something to tell you.'

She moved to a rickety chair and Charlie moved to kneel in front of her.

'Where's Carl?' she asked, hitting the nail right on the head in one question but it was unsurprising since he was meant to be home all day and she had only gone out about an hour ago - Isabella fought back a flinch or a sob, no one not every Isabella herself was sure which. Esme knew the expression that came over her face as she did so and she looked scared. 'Where's my husband, Charlie?'

'I had to arrest him on the grounds of murder,' he spoke slowly allowing her to take in every word he was saying and her eyes widened as her eyebrows pulled down. She swayed slightly.

'What?' she whispered and Isabella leaped up to hug her from behind, to give her some sort of comfort as she pulled away from Charlie - he had taken her hands, which had been resting daintily on her knees, as he began speaking -, recoiling in shock.

'The evidence for Royce King's death leads overwhelmingly toward Carlisle,' Charlie told her. 'The knife was found in the church with his finger prints on, we can't check his whereabouts at the time of the murder because he was alone, he also has the motive since Royce attempted attack on Rosalie,' - (Esmerelle began to open her mouth) - 'I know he didn't do it and as I told Isabella and Edward, I will try and get him out of it. I will do everything within my power, you just need to trust me. I will get you back your husband, Esmerelle, and your children's father.'

Their mother didn't say anything, just raised a hand to Isabella's arm and lent back. Isabella rested her head on top of her mothers as another tear slipped down her face.

'It'll be okay, Mum,' she whispered though she herself wasn't one hundred percent sure but she it was all she had to comfort her mother. 'Have faith. Charlie will figure it out and Daddy will be back with us, hopefully for New Year.'

New Year was a big celebration in their family because it was the one day they could count of food - the king, King Aro, gave everyone in his Kingdom enough food to have a feast to celebrate the new coming year. They had dubbed the day as a family day - no one worked and they just spent the day as a family before going out with the rest of the city to the palace to hear the King's speech and then watch the amazing fireworks that exploded above the extravagant palace.

'Of course he will, baby,' her mother whispered in reply though she knew her daughter didn't really believe what she was saying but she did appreciate her efforts. 'Of course he will.'

She picked up her daughters hand and kissed it lightly. She stood up and turned look at her youngest daughter, her youngest child, when she felt something wet hit her head. Isabella's dirty face, dirty from cleaning the fireplace, was streaked with a few new tear tracks and her eyes were holding more prisoner waiting to release them.

'Izzy,' Edward sighed sadly as their mother quickly circled the chair to hug her daughter tightly, her own face contorted painfully.

He hated seeing his sister crying, he always had. It was his job as her older brother to protect her from harm along with Jasper and their father, crying meant he had failed her. She was the baby of the family, everyone's baby. Softer and warmer that Rosalie, more trusting and welcoming than Jasper, kinder and sweeter than himself, not as motherly as their mother but just as caring and as clever as their wise father. She was the family jewel, even Rosalie admitted it.

Seeing his mother cry was nearly as bad because she rarely cried - motherly and caring she may be but she was tough and strong-willed, stubborn, things didn't break her easily, the only thing that could was something to do with their family. She had cried when Royce tried to rape Rosalie because she had come home weak and bloody, cried when Isabella had almost drowned in the river whilst telling Jasper off - their father had to jump in the water and pull her out - cried when he had broken his arm falling out of a tree, she had thought him dead for a minute because he didn't move accessing the damage, cried when Jasper told her that Mary-Alice was sick, cried when the twins had gotten lock when they were little in the forest. It sounded like a lot when you listed them out but considering he was now nineteen, spread out it wasn't much and there was a common theme.

The scene made Edward swallow and he shut his eyes so he didn't have to see them only opening them when he felt a hand on his arm. Lillian. She sent him a sad smile and he tried to return it. At just that moment Jasper walked in with his head low as it always was when he returned from the Brandon house. He loved Mary-Alice and watching her get sicker and sicker while her step-mother stood there with the money to make her better was wearing on him, breaking him. He couldn't understand what made Melissa Brandon hate her elder step-daughter so much but then dote on the younger one, Cynthia, who was struggling as much as Jasper with her sister's illness - the same illness that had killed their mother.

'Jazz,' Isabella whispered, pulling a bit away from their mother's embrace but not very far, only enough to see her other brother.

Jasper's head snapped up and he froze taking in the sight. Rosalie, a few steps behind him having come in just after him covered in food, walked into him when he suddenly stopped and the explanation began all over again before she could snap at him.

Eventually the whole family knew what had happened. The twins had flopped onto that old couch, Edward was leaning against the wall with Lillian next to him, trying to provide a little comfort by rubbing holding his hand and rubbing her other one up and down his arm, and Esme had sat back down in the chair with Isabella sitting at her feet, resting her head back on her mother's knees. Charlie just hovered awkwardly unsure at the moment whether he was family or just the Chief of Police. Edward felt a pang of pity go through him for his father-in-law.

'We should go,' Lillian eventually said, pulling on Edward's arm slightly. 'We have to get Isla from my mum's.' (She could see the hesitation on Edward's face to leave his family right now and frowned turning to her father, knowing that her husband needed his blood family now and they needed him.) 'Could you keep her for the night? I'll come with you to mine and Edward's house to get some stuff and then' - she turned back to Edward - 'I'll come back.'

'Sure, honey,' Charlie nodded, glad to be useful in some way though Isla would be with Renee all night since he had already planned to go to the station and try and figure everything out.

'Thanks, Lils,' Edward muttered, pressing a kiss to her cheek she headed to get her fur cloak..

He followed her, taking the cloak off the hook and held it out for her. She smiled and turned around slipping her arms through it before turning around to face him, placing a hand on his cheek.

'Everything will turn out okay,' she said softly, her blue eyes burning softly with conviction - she knew her father-in-law was innocent just as much as anyone else in the room because Carlisle hated violence. 'You'll see.'

'I hope so,' Edward replied, his voice a little hoarse as he glanced back at his sad and silent family.

'I'll be back soon,' she assured him and followed her father out the door, Edward shut it behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie didn't sort things out for New Year so the family wasn't complete on the day they all put aside for each other. Edward had been around a lot more since their father's arrest with Lillian and his daughter, Isla, who managed to get smiles out of the whole family. Rosalie and Jasper were working harder than ever to try and get some money into the family and Esmerelle was trying to get some as well. At sixteen jobs were hard to come by for Isabella but she was determined to get one - she had to help, had to contribute somehow to her family, it she was going to take she had to give back - and eventually she found one, a well paid one.

Struck with the energy that the large amount of food they got on New Year gave her, she applied and, to her immense surprise, she got it. No one in the family was really happy about the idea of her working even though they all knew they needed it and had themselves been working since they were sixteen. "She was the baby in the family, she was meant to have the easy life" they said but with a lot of Jasper's money going to Mary-Alice, not that anyone in the family blamed him in fact the encouraged him, and Rosalie's job being low paying, plus Esme not really being able to get much work around trying to help Edward keep the church running, money was an big issue, one they weren't going to have a dispute over.

It was January second when she started her job and she was met at the gates of the place.

'You are Miss Isabella Cullen, correct?' a stiff woman with a clip board spoke and Isabella nodded.

'Correct,' Isabella replied.

'Good,' the woman nodded, her voice still stiff and unforgiving as she chucked her a black knee length dress and white apron. 'Welcome to the palace.' (They began walking toward a wooden door that was clearly the servants entrance) 'You are to be seen but not heard as a maid. You do not speak to any of the Royal members of the family unless they ask you a question specifically and you will always address them as "your majesty" or, for the prince and princess, "your highness". If they state otherwise, you do not comply -'

'But isn't that rude?' Isabella interrupted but the look the woman gave her told her she had made a mistake.

'Interrupting me is rude,' she practically snarled. 'I know the rules of the castle and all I am doing is informing you on how King Aro runs the house. You do not leave the staff quarters and wander the halls, you only leave if you have been called or know you have specific chores to attended to - you go straight there, do the job, and straight back.

'Breakfast is served at seven o'clock sharp for the family, you are to be here exactly at six, if you are late there will be serious punishment. While the Royalty are eating, the maids clean their rooms. Since you are still at school you will leave as soon as your assigned rooms are cleaned but you must return straight after, is that clear? No, going home and seeing your family, that can be done later, no doing your homework. I will expect you here at four o'clock on the dot. Dinner is five, the servants get food at six but no food must be taken for the Palace, I don't care how poor your family is. You can leave once all your duties are done - there is no fixed leaving time. You will be paid once a month on the last day. Now go and change into that dress - I have work for you.

They had reached a small lounge like room that was even scarcer in furniture than Isabella's own home but Isabella didn't take time to look at it, disappearing into a side room feeling the woman's hazel hawk like eyes follow her the whole way.

'Tie your hair up,' she snapped when Isabella returned, chucking her a black ribbon which Isabella quickly and obediently tied in her hair.

The lady circled her, frowning.

'You're far too pretty for a maid,' she scowled, pulling on a bit of hair. 'You stand you far too much but I suppose you'll have to do.' (Isabella decided to take what the woman said as a compliment rather though she was aware that the Hawk didn't mean it in such a way.) 'Well, at least you can keep your mouth shut. Come with me.'

She stalked off and Isabella almost had to run to keep up with her. They seemed to walk for hours, up and down stair cases that were so tightly twisted that Isabella found herself becoming dizzy but eventually they reached a door and without waiting the woman threw the doors open and lead Isabella inside. The room was like nothing Isabella had ever seen before. Everything was shining and looked as though it had never been used, there was more furniture than Isabella had seen in a room before. Chairs that actually looked comfortable, a bed that was probably as soft as a long haired rabbit, and a wooden desk that was carved intricately. This had to have been one of the royal bedrooms.

'This is your first test, shall we say?' the woman simpered and Isabella wondered if she was the reason that this job was open: she gave every new employee a test and when they failed to come through she fired them. 'This is Prince Alec's room, he is out until mid-day. You have until then to clean the room - I want it spotless, are we clear?'

'Crystal,' Isabella replied though she was scared - midday was twelve, it was already ten, and though the room was sparkling it was a mess … apparently the Prince wasn't a clean person but then, Isabella reminded herself, he didn't need to be he had people like her to clean up after him. She resisted the urge to purse her lips at that thought, if she was rich enough to have servants to clean for her, she would at least make the job a bit easier from them.

'Good,' with that the hawk of a woman turned and left, shutting the door sharply behind her.

Isabella sighed, half in relief, and looked around the room once more, wondering where on earth she should start. A snarky voice in her head replied, _well, in this room might be a good idea. _God, she hated that voice sometimes.

* * *

It was only an hour later when the door swung open to reveal a boy who must have been a few years older than herself. He was tall, handsome with dark brown hair that swung over his eyes and enchanting sea blue eyes that survey the room, and definitely the prince meaning that he was three years older than herself having turned nineteen on the last day of December.

His extraordinary eyes locked on her, frozen where she was cleaning the fireplace, and he frowned, studying her.

'Leave,' was only said and, after curtsying slightly, Isabella rushed out and right into the woman who had greeted her.

She looked down on Isabella with pursed lips.

'I take it Prince Alec arrived home early,' she replied and Isabella nodded respectively. 'Did you speak to him?'

'No, Miss,' Isabella finally spoke in a confused tone as the woman took her arm and led her, more pulled her forcefully, into a hidden servant passage way. 'That's against the rules. He didn't me a question.'

The woman looked down at her honest confusion and almost smiled: _maybe this girl was different than most the young girls who applied for a job in the castle_.

'Good,' she nodded tightly. 'Go clean yourself up.'

Isabella rushed down to the servant bathrooms and looked in the mirror, blushing as she realised she had been a complete mess when the prince had seen her though she wasn't completely sure why she cared. In her part of London, being dirty wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary, everyone was, but here in a sparkling palace, it seemed like a crime. She scrubbed off all the dirt from her hands and face and brushed down the dress, glad that it all just brushed off and eventually she looked presentable again.

It was dark by the time she was allowed to go home and as soon as she got through the door her mother wrapped her in a tight hug.

'Well, how was it?' she asked, pulling her further into the house and shutting the door behind her youngest child.

'Not bad,' Isabella answered honestly. 'The woman in charge is so mean and strict but, I suppose if she has to run all the staff, she has to be so I don't mind too much. I met the Prince, he's not very nice either, but the other maids are. They're really nice and a lot of them are in the same kind of situation we are... How's Daddy?'

Her mother sighed heavily but then her lips quirked up in a smile.

'You know your father, he's not in the slightest bit worried, completely calm as to everything that's going on,' she answered shaking her head in amusement at her love, which in her head Isabella liked to think of as "True Love". 'He has completely faith in Charlie to get him out and us to survive until he does. He's very proud of you for getting a job to help, very mature.'

'Can I see him soon?' Isabella asked and her mother shook her head again.

'No, baby, the person above Charlie, whoever that is, had instructed him to give Carlisle no visitors but me,' Isabella's face fell and her mother couldn't stand it, 'but I'm sure that'll change soon. Are you going to come help me with dinner?'

Isabella nodded taking her mother's hand and getting up. Her mother kissed her hair as they made their way into the kitchen.

'This job is good, Mum,' she said a while later as she chopped vegetables. 'Maybe it's not the happiest place in the world but I get paid well and I get free meals, two during the week and three at the weekend which means you don't have to feed me apart from lunch on school days. That's a good thing right?'

'You're far too selfless, baby,' her mother sighed looking over at her, 'you always have been but do be careful, don't let it put you in danger'.'

'It's to make up for Rosalie,' Isabella teasingly remarked and her mother rolled her eyes, knowing it was rather true - her two daughter were complete opposite's when it came to that type of thing. They heard Rosalie's protest upstairs - the walls in that house were far too thin for anyone's good.


	3. Chapter 3

Isabella didn't get to see her father for weeks, it was March before she did but only because she snuck in having heard talk in the Palace about the King wanting to get the trial over a done with. They hadn't known who they were talking about but the case they were talking about made it clear to Isabella.

'Daddy?' Isabella whispered, through the empty station - Charlie was out and so was everyone else, her father was the only person kept in the station: they didn't feel the need to guard him because he wasn't going to cause any trouble while they were gone.

Her father looked up from where he was chucking a ball against the wall - he looked seriously bored. His eyes lit up at the sight of her and his lips pulled up slightly.

'I don't think you're supposed to be here, honey,' he called across the room nonchalantly to where she hovered in the doorway and a smile crept onto her face at his voice.

'I'm not but no one's here so,' she shrugged instead of finishing her sentence and walked towards him, wrapping her fingers around the bars keeping him away from her, away from their family, away from her mother.

He placed the ball down and came forward as well, putting his hand out between the bars to rest on her cheek. He smiled broadly at her.

'I've missed you,' he told her and her smile widened.

'I _miss _you,' she replied because even though he was right in front of her it was right, it wasn't the same. His smile turned sad as he took a breath.

'I know,' he said heavily his eyes skirting over her. 'You've put on weight.'

Isabella jolted in surprise at the random observation he made but nodded eventually.

'Probably,' she admitted. 'My job gives me free food. The whole family's put on a bit of weight, I think, because we're all working harder and Mum doesn't have to feed me and you. Plus Charlie's doing a lot for us.'

'How is this job of yours going?' he asked and feeling as though they were going to be there for a while, Isabella sat down on the cold, stone floor in front of him - he joined her.

'It's good,' she said blandly. 'I haven't gotten fired … yet.'

Her father chuckled lightly though he was frowning, obviously her distaste she had got from her jobs over the last weeks were not as well hidden as she had hoped to the man, the person, that knew her best.

'Sweetheart, don't lie to me.'

She sighed heavily.

'It pays well, Daddy, it's good for the family,' she told him softly. 'Who cares if I hate it?'

'I do,' he told her sternly, 'and I'm pretty sure your mother would as well if you told her... Speaking off, your siblings miss you and so does your mother, with this job they haven't seen you for ages. I know you have this selflessness but Izzy, sweetheart, I know that what you think you're doing is best for them but it's not your responsibility to care for them, they'd rather actually see you, Esme tells me it's becoming a luxury. Don't get lost.'

Isabella was about to answer when she heard footsteps and, knowing she'd be in serious trouble if it was anyone but Charlie, she jumped up after squeezing her father's hand.

'I love you,' she whispered as she disappeared through the door leaving her father alone once again.

His words stuck with her as she ran to work, desperate not to be late. "Don't get lost," what on earth could he mean by that? Her father had always been a cryptic man and it irritated her mother no end but Isabella had always seemed to have a natural ability to understand him but this time she didn't. Perhaps he meant not to lose who she was but surely she hadn't changed much since she joined the palace servant force. She was still herself, family was still the most important thing to her even if she didn't see them often.

She arrived at work with a minute to spare and quickly pulled on her uniform, despite her father's cryptic words, happier than ever but that was probably just from seeing him, and well, not like he was suffering at all in the cell apart from the fact that he seemed bored out of his mind, which she honestly couldn't blame him for. She was cleaning the library for the majority of the day (it was a Saturday meaning she worked practically all day), a massive room filled with more books than she'd ever seen, it was like heaven for her had she been allowed to touch them.

The door swung open and, seeing that it was the Prince, Isabella turned and made to make a quick exit out the servants door so she wouldn't be seen - the royal family, it appeared, did not like seeing their maids either let alone hearing them.

'Wait!' the Prince's voice called out to her and she caught a change in the tone he spoke to her with, not the underlying distain that it usually was, but a soft, charming tone that immediately made her intrigued and she turned to look at him, stuck at how handsome he was when he wasn't scowling. 'Look, I'm bored out of my mind and I can't find anyone else in the castle - all the other servants are engaged in high priority tasks - would you mind just talking to me for a while.'

'His highness is lonely?' Isabella asked sweetly swinging round a pole that was holding the second floor up to see him better and keeping hold of it.

It was the first time Alec had ever heard her speak and the soft, kind tenor of her voice entranced him, not to mention her beauty. Most the maids his father hired where, not to be too harsh, on the less than pretty side because apparently pretty maids were a distraction and stood out too much and for this one girl Alec had to agree but she was still a Maid. He noticed these things but that didn't mean he was interested in her. She was below him in every way possible.

'Perhaps I am,' he replied gesturing to two chairs by the fire.

'The Stewardess will kill me,' the maid said looking abashed, 'and I really should be getting back to my chores.'

'Aren't your chores here?' he asked her raising his eyebrows.

'Well … yes,' she admitted, she hadn't expected him to know that, and he smirked wondering away to one of those chairs are flopped down in it with a confidence only a prince could possess.

'So if you really want to work,' he said as though he didn't know why she would want to, 'you can do it at the same time as keeping the poor prince company.'

Isabella sighed wondering if this was a trap or whether Prince Alec, who had been the perfect example of an arrogant, rude, selfish prince, really did want to talk to her - well "want" was to lose a term, he was simple lonely and she was the only one around apparently.

'What do you wish to talk about, your highness?' she sighed as she picked up a cloth and began to clean a nearby bookshelf.

'Tell me about yourself,' it was an order though she couldn't fathom why he would ask.

'Like what, you highness?' Isabella replied, she didn't want him to know too much about her

'What's your name?' he asked. 'I'm tired as referring to you as "the new maid" in my head all the time.'

Isabella blushed for a reason even unknown to her and answered, 'Isabella.'

'Isabella,' the prince repeated, sounding the name out on his tongue. 'Surname that goes with that?'

Isabella froze for a second and wondered if he knew about her father current predicament and if he would do something if he realised whose daughter she was, 'Cullen.'

'Cullen!' the prince shot up angrily and Isabella's eyes fluttered shut though he couldn't know that since she was facing away from him. 'The murderer's daughter?' (Isabella fought to keep her mother's temper under control) 'Well, I wasn't expecting that. He's going to be tried soon, you know. Is your family used to getting by without him yet? Royce was a good friend of mine, you know, my cousin and he loved Rosalie, your sister I assume, more than anything in the world, he would never harm her, no matter what your sister says.'

Isabella took deep breathes as he spoke, thinking of her father in a jail cell for a crime he didn't commit, her sister when she had come home late August with bruises covering her skin, her coat buttons gone, her hat pulled for her head, a split lip, telling the family that her boyfriend, Royce, had attacked her with a few of his drunk friends - a thought flickered through Isabella's head if Prince Alec had been one of those friends. She kept calm about Rosalie because she was now so happy dating Emmett McCarty but her father was a different matter. She felt tears blaze her eyes of sadness or anger she wasn't really sure but thought perhaps it was both. The Prince was still speaking.

'I'll be happy when his murderer is locked away, not as good as revenge but it'll have to do,' he seemed to have forgotten who he was talking to and Isabella felt her breathing slow down slightly as her head swam. 'My father was worried to begin with that Chief Swan would play favourites since that murderer is his daughter's father-in-law but he seems to be doing his job right. Everything comes back to bite you, I can't believe that man thought he'd get away with it.'

Isabella could feel her temper bubbling dangerous out of control and as he continued talking she finally lost it.

'Shut up!' she snapped spinning around and glaring at him with watery eyes and he simply stared at her without any emotion.

They stared at each other until the silence was broken by his sister voice.

'I am not a prize to be won!' she snapped and threw open the doors, marching toward the fireplace that her brother was sat before.

Isabella sensing a way out escaped when the prince looked his sister, fleeing into the servant's quarters to try and calm her anger and pounding heart down.


	4. Chapter 4

She was surprised that she wasn't fired for snapping at the Prince when she went into work the next day and she didn't see the Prince for a matter of weeks, something she knew she should have been happy about but couldn't find it in herself to be. She was happy though because her father had yet to be tried meaning Charlie had even more time to find evidence that didn't fit - a fact proving harder than it had originally seemed. Today was a rare occasion in the palace - all the servants were allowed to spend the whole day with their family. So Isabella sat leaning on her mother with her feet on Jasper, just waiting for him to tickle her as he always did, she could see the twinkle in his brown eyes that meant mischief.

'How's Alice, Jazz?' Isabella asked him to distract him, taking about Mary-Alice was a good distraction but this time he flinched and Isabella shuffled from her mother toward him, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning into him, the movement made it that she was practically sitting in his lap, while Rosalie frowned across from her seat. 'What's wrong?'

Jasper bowed his blond head, exactly the same colour, texture and style as her own - blonde, think and wavy - before leaving back to throw an arm over her shoulder across the back of the sofa, looking at her face.

'She's getting worse,' he admitted and their mother gasped. None of them had ever met Mary-Alice but Jasper spoke of her often, making the family already love her. 'Her step-mother has the money, that's the thing that irritates me, she just hates, I mean _really _hates Ali. She has the money to make her better but she won't pay it and it drives me crazy.'

'It'll work out Jazz,' Esmerelle said in a comforting way and Jasper smiled over at her.

'You never know, Jazz,' Isabella joked trying to lighten his mood, 'one of us may marry someone rich who will pay for her treatment.'

Jasper snorted lightly and Rosalie rolled her blue eyes - she and Jasper were practically identical apart from that fact.

'Sorry, Jazz,' she said. 'Emmett barely has enough money to keep his own family alive … but saying that, neither do we.'

'Rose,' their mother warned. 'This is Izzy's only day off, can we just get on for one day without arguing, please.'

'Sorry,' Rosalie sighed, smiling at her little sister. 'Tell us about the Prince.'

'He's a jerk,' Isabella said simple and was sent a scolding look from her mother. 'He is, it seems the only thing he cares about is his twin, who apparently is being sold of by her father -'

She went to say more when there was a knock on the door and the whole family frowned, they weren't expecting anyone and even if Edward did appear he would walk straight in. Esmerelle rose to go answer it but Jasper waved a hand at her, leaping up and disappearing into the hall. It was only a few minutes later when a black haired man Esmerelle age walked in with Jasper right behind him - from the look of Jasper's face the whole family knew he hadn't invited Charles Evenson into their house.

'Mr Evenson!' Esmerelle gasped, looking at him warily.

She had never had any contact with him but she knew of him. A widowed gentleman who was widely known for his violence, so much so that some suspected he killed his wife though there was no evidence for that theory.

'I have the answer to all your problems,' Charles announced loudly and Isabella wrinkled her nose at the slight smell of alcohol coming off him though not enough for him to be drunk.

'That's a mighty long list,' Jasper muttered under his breath unheard by Charles.

'What might that be, Mr Evenson?' Esmerelle asked kindly with an air of amusement though she seemed slightly interested - Jasper was right, their problems were a mile long at this time.

'Me,' he answered simply, spreading his arms out wide with a wide grin on his face.

'I'm not sure we're following you, sir,' Isabella spoke, after she and Rosalie had shared a confused look.

'You, Esmerelle, give me Rosalie's hand in marriage,' Rosalie let out a squeak as the rest of the families eyes grew wide, 'and I will solve all your money problems, perhaps I can even convince the King to let Carlisle go, we're good friends, you know.'

_That wouldn't surprise me_, Isabella thought, knowing for a fact that, in the Prince's case, the apple didn't fall far from tree.

'My daughter is not for -' their mother began sending Rosalie a look that clearly said that she would never allow this to happen no matter how much she wanted their money problems gone and her husband back.

Charles spoke as though she hadn't, 'of course, you'll want to discuss it with your husband, I would have loved to ask him but giving his current predicament - one I could get him out off. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be hearing for you within a few days. Goodbye. Goodbye, my future wife.'

Rosalie looked absolutely petrified as Charles kissed her hand before tipping his hat at the rest of them and leaving. Isabella and Jasper stared at their horror struck sister who, once she could move again, flew to kneel at her mother's feet.

'Mum-' she began to beg her not to let her be sold to Charles Evenson.

'That won't happen,' Esmerelle cut her off, placing a hand on Rosalie's blonde hair. 'Your father and I would never let anyone you be sold no matter how much we are struggling for money. I promise. I think Carlisle would rather go to prison than let you marry someone like Charles.'

'It'll be fine, Rose,' Isabella smiled over at her eldest sister wondering if Princess Jane felt the same way about being forced to marry. 'Besides you _belong _with Emmett.'

'You think?' Rose asked, her face twisting into a small smile at the mention of her boyfriend and Isabella nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning when she went into work again, like the first day, she was assigned to clean Prince Alec's room while he was at breakfast and doing whatever he and his father did after it. However, when she arrived he was still sitting in his room and turned to look at her. She curtsied.

'Sorry, your highness,' she spoke quietly. 'I'll come back later,'

'No, you're fine,' the prince replied sounding weary so that Isabella almost felt drawn to - she had always had a need to make someone feel better - but she remembered what happen last time that she tried to speak civilly with him. There was also the fast that she wasn't allowed to talk to them unless they asked her a question. 'I just didn't feel up to breakfast this morning.'

'Is there any specific reason, your highness, you're not ill I hope,' Isabella said, trying to make her voice as obedient as possible because technically she had just broken the rules of not speaking to Royalty unless they asked her a question - twice actually.

'I'm fine,' he snapped and she clenched her jaw slightly: you'd think the boy knew nothing of pleasant conversation.

'I'm sorry,' Isabella told him and then feel into silence as she began to clean up, blatantly ignoring that he was in the room until he spoke to her.

'Did you have a nice day off?' he asked and Isabella looked over at him sharply at his civil question but was quick to reply.

'Yes, thank you, your highness,' she smiled though silently wondering what was wrong with him. 'It was nice spending some time with my family.'

He actually smiled and Isabella's breath caught in her throat, 'I'm sure they miss you greatly.'

Isabella's eyebrows rose, surprised that he paid enough attention to his servants to know the long hours they worked. He was staring at her, waiting for her to say something, and she realised just how blue his eyes were - they seemed to burn. Not wanting to be caught looking at him, she turned to table and sprayed it with polish while speaking.

'It has been a while since I've spent any time with them,' she admitted sadly.

'Family's important to you,' he observed though it was clear he couldn't understand why about this as well.

Isabella spoke without thinking, 'I wouldn't be here if it wasn't.'

As soon as the words where out of her mouth she cringed lightly: not exactly the sort of thing you want to say to your employing family even if it was completely true. The prince pressed his lips together and decided to ignore that comment apart from the fact he stood with the clear intention to leave.

'It was nice speaking to you but I best go meet my father,' he told her making his way to the door and she curtsied. 'I'll let you work in peace.'

'Have a nice day, your highness,' she spoke as he opened the door, he inclined his head slightly to her leaving her surprised at his sudden manners.

Over the next few days when it was just Prince Alec and Princess Jane in the palace - they're parents were travelling, leaving their two nineteen year olds alone - the prince seemed to develop a habit of speaking to Isabella and soon stopped insulting her family or anything she cared about and though she hated to admit it she was starting to fall for him because when he was talking to her, he was now no longer the rude prince with no manners but he seemed kind and caring. She couldn't keep up with him.

'He didn't do it, you know,' she said one time when she was sat with him by the fireplace in his fire - she wasn't even working while she spoke to him now. 'My father. He didn't kill Royce.'

'You're his daughter,' Alec sighed sadly, almost pityingly as though she was some victim of abuse that couldn't understand that she didn't deserve what was happening to her. 'You have to believe that despite all the evidence. You'd be a terrible daughter if you didn't.'

'I know my father - he hates violence,' she said imploringly and he turned to look at her calculatingly.

'Why are we talking about this?' he asked, a snappish tone entering his voice on a minute scale. 'What do you want me to do?'

'I want you to stop believing my father's a murderer, that's what I want you to do!' Isabella answered desperately, she wanted him to do something to help her but she wasn't going to tell him that.

'I can't do that,' he said, rising from his seat and then moving to lean over her, placing his hands on the arms on her chair trapping her in, 'because, even if you can, I can't ignore the evidence, the mountains of evidence, that's pointing directly to him.'

'Please,' she whispered and he sighed, shutting his eyes for a second before looking at her sadly.

'Don't kill me for trying this,' he said causing her to frown in confusion but he didn't give her time to ask as he leant forward a little more and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

She jumped up as soon as his lips left hers, slipping under his arm and out of the chair as she felt tingles spread through her body. She backed away. Falling for him she might be but doing something about it was completely different: he was a prince. She shook her head softly as she continued moving back away from him and he followed her.

'We can't do this,' she told him gasping when her back hit the wall meaning she was trapped. Her words caused his eyes to sparkle a bit and a smile to twitch on his lips as he realised that she didn't hate him and she did want this, she just thought they couldn't. 'It's wrong. It's one thing talking' - he placed his hands either side of her head trapping her in front of him - 'but this would be disastrous for the both of us -'

Her words were cut of as he kiss her again just as gently and she tried to control the warm feeling that flared up inside her at the feeling of his lips on hers and the desire for more that she felt. He continued kissing her though she didn't respond her thoughts in a flutter. Half of her yearning to kiss him back but the other half ordering her to stay strong and stick with what she had just said - Alec was a prince he _had _to marry a princess, if she let herself get involved with him, it would simply end in heartbreak. Slowly but successfully, her resolve weakened and weakened until she slowly raised her hands from the wall to rest them on his sides, drifting them up until the tangled in his shaggy hair.

His hands moved, as her lips began to, to wrap tightly around her, pulling her off the wall and closer to him until they were pressed flush against each other. Isabella gasped against his lips and … they froze. Footsteps were coming down the corridor at an alarming pace but Alec still took the time to kiss her another time before turning away. Isabella looked after him, her breathing heavy, and she could tell from the way his shoulders were moving that his was too. The doors flung open as soon as Isabella dropped to her knees to look busy.

'Leave, Maid,' the King snapped with even glancing at her but Alec's eyes looked sorry as Isabella gathered her stuff and left as quickly as she could.

She hurried downstairs and stared at herself in the mirror of the servant's bathroom, trying to calm her panicked thoughts.

'What am I going to do?' she whispered to no one.


	6. Chapter 6

'We really can't make a habit of this, Alec,' or 'We have to stop doing this,' was what she would tell Alec every time he swept her into an empty room and kissed her because he really was making a habit of it and it was whenever he wasn't busy. Trouble was every time she said one of those things, or anything along the same lines, she could feel her belief in it fade a little. She always fought back initially but always eventually gave in. It was like he was a drug that she couldn't resist: his kisses were intoxicating, his presence made her instantly happy and just his touch made where ever he had tingle. She had been falling for him when they were simply talking but now that she had him in a way, it was even harder because she knew she couldn't keep it up.

She had three options that she could consider: keep her job and a relationship with Alec in secret - it was dangerous but she got the boy she thought she was falling in love with and the money that her family needed to survive but this could only be kept up until his father forced Alec to marry the princess as he meant to; the second one, quit her job and be with him exclusively - that could only happened if he confronted his father about not marrying a princess and his father agreeing (unlikely) but if it did she got him … but then her family went hungry, it was a selfish idea which was one thing that Isabella Cullen was not; the third and final option was to keep her job, and therefore help her family, but it would break her heart and make her job torture.

For a few days, she tries to push him away going with the final option but the pain was crippling and she couldn't stand the hurt look on his face when she pushed him away from her and walked away. Hurting herself she could put up with but hurting her Alec - it scared her that she already referred to him as that - was too much.

However, her love life wasn't the only one that was struggling. Mary-Alice had taken a turn for the worse and Jasper was struggling badly. She had begged the stewardess to give her a day off, that her brother needed his family but she hadn't been going to until Alec, striding by, had told her that it was fine, they didn't need much staff that day, one maid off wouldn't make a large amount of difference. The stewardess had stared at him wondering if he was ill but he only had eyes for Isabella who was sending him the most grateful and relieved look he'd ever seen.

'Jazz!' Isabella called entering the house - the Stewardess had allowed her to leave straight away. 'Are you home?'

'Izzy!' her mother's voice sounded shocked from the stairway. 'What are you doing here, you should be at work?'

'I got off,' Isabella smiled over at the woman she felt she hadn't seen in weeks.

Her mother looked exactly the same of course. Same caramel brown hair that none of her kids had inherited was tied up in a scruff ponytail, the brown eyes that both she and Jasper had were wide and sparkled happily.

'Baby, what's wrong? Esmerelle had picked up on the strained tone her voice because she couldn't help that part of her mind was on her relationship or whatever it was with Alec.

'Nothing, Mum,' she said sweetly, not wanting to worry her mother about something else.

'Don't lie to me, Baby,' he mother pulled her over to that old sofa and looked over at her in concern. 'What's going on?'

'I don't know what to do.'

'About what?'

Isabella bowed her head feeling her nose begin to tingle. She hadn't told anyone about what was happening with Alec, not even her mother, because she honestly didn't know what was happening between them.

'It's a boy,' Rosalie's voice laughed just after the sound of the door opening sounded. 'Our little Izzy has boy problems.'

'I do not!' Isabella replied quickly but her boy centred sister didn't believe it for a second.

'Tell me everything!' she beamed, bouncing to sit on Isabella's other side but her left hand caught in the light as she did so.

'Rose!' Esmerelle gasped in excitement.

'Rose, is that an engagement ring?' Isabella yelped grasping her sister's hand when she sat down, her sister beamed and looked away. 'Rose?'

'Emmett asked me to marry him,' Rosalie beamed. 'Charlie even let him in to ask Daddy.'

Esmerelle raised her eyebrows it had been a long time since her daughter had called her husband "daddy" having matured and changed it to "dad" while Isabella fought the urge to flinch at the mention of her father. Esmerelle moved to kneel in front of her daughters as her elder daughter began gushing about her boyfriend, no fiancé, and how everything had happened. She and Isabella shared a look: it wasn't often Rosalie was so passionate about something. She could have gone on for hours had Jasper not walked through the door looking so miserable that even self-centred Rosalie was willing to drop what she was talking about and rush to him with her selfless younger sister and caring mother.

Isabella threw himself into his arms, half because of his heartbroken expression and half because she had missed him so much. His arms wrapped around her as well as he bent his head down onto her shoulder.

'She collapsed and won't wake up,' he whispered into the hair that cascaded over his sister's shoulder and he felt her body stiffen before her grasp on him tightened., letting him soak her hair and dress with his tears and his body began to shake.

They pulled him to the sofa and sat down with him. He began to speak, more than he had ever told them about the Brandon's before and the more he spoke the more Isabella wished they could free Mary-Alice from her step-mother and her illness. If only they had enough money, if only her step-mother would pay it, if only the price for the treatment wasn't so high, if only someone else would help them. Alec jumped into her mind but she knew she couldn't ask him to help her, she didn't want him to think that she only let him kiss her so she could ask for his family money. Maybe if their relationship was more stable, more known, more established because she wasn't even sure what they were now, then maybe she could have asked him and the idea that maybe she was after his money wouldn't even cross his mind but that was a whole lot of maybe's.

'I wish there was something we could do,' Esmerelle sighed, stroking her younger sons' hair softly while Isabella drew circles in his back.

'Mary-Alice says we do enough,' Jasper's voice was slightly amused. 'She's not happy with me giving her money for the treatment and you for allowing it - she thinks it's too much already. If we did any more I think she'd murder me.'

* * *

A few hours later, Charlie arrived jubilantly at the house, pulling his daughter along with him with Edward following behind, his own black haired, green eyed daughter on his shoulders.

'A breakthrough!' Charlie cheered and before anyone could even speak he was rambling off the news. 'Something didn't add up so I started at the beginning, trying to see if we had missed something and by golly we had. The person who killed Royce King was defiantly a left hander!'

Esmerelle jumped up, her hands to her mouth almost in prayer, 'Carlisle's left hand got caught a factory machine when he was younger, he couldn't punch someone with it'

'Exactly, King was beaten to death, there was no way he could have done it,' Charlie agreed and Isabella, Jasper and Rosalie leaped up as well. Edward was grinning broadly with Isla and Lillian at his side, they already knew for sure.

'You did it!' Isabella threw her arms around Charlie. 'You actually did it!'

She kissed him on the cheek dramatically, laughing giddily. She could feel her family celebrating behind her as her mother came and hugged Charlie tighter than Isabella had whispering "Thank you" over and over again.


	7. Chapter 7

Isabella went into work the next morning on a new high and it seemed all the maids noticed. It was a school day so she wasn't there long before she left - she wanted to tell Alec the news but a part of her was scared how he would react. He found her as soon as she return after school, wrapping an arm around her waist as she passed the parlour and pulled her in, shutting the door sharply behind her.

He didn't say anything, just stared at her until her wide smile faded slowly.

'Alec?' she asked, suddenly nervous - he had been so sure that her father had killed his cousin, though they only talked about it twice, would he still believe that or would he comply to the new evidence? Would he be angry because he thought Carlisle was getting away with murder if he didn't covert to the latter?

'Sorry,' he shook his head as though to knock some thoughts out of it. 'I just don't think I've ever seen you smile like that.'

Isabella blushed badly, averting her gaze from his and causing him to chuck. He placed a kiss on her lips, 'well, I suppose your have a right to be happy.'

She bit her lip gently, looking up at him though her head was still pointed at the floor when she had moved it to at his words.

'And what do you think about it?' this had always been a source of tension for the two of them: there was a reason they had only spoke about it twice.

'My father doesn't believe it,' was what Alec said and Isabella frowned.

'That's not what I asked,' she whispered, rising her head slightly as her breathing slowed and his gaze went anywhere but her face.

'I don't know what to believe.'

'Believe me,' she said desperately, grasping onto his collar and pulling herself closer. 'Believe that I know my father, believe the evidence that now longer points to him, believe that Charlie is loyal enough to your father and the kingdom to corrupt evidence, believe what I know to be true. Have some faith. You believed the evidence before, when it was pointing at my father, but …' - a horrible thought occurred to - 'now that it's pointing away from his you can't. I don't understand. Do you want my father in prison?'

'No!' he almost yelled, moving his hands to her waist and pulling her evermore closer to him. 'Of course not, why would I want that?'

'I don't know,' she sighed, 'but that's kind of how it looks.'

'Well, what things look like aren't always the truth,' he replied, his tone harder and she stared up at him, wondering if she would ever be able to keep up with his mood changes. 'How's your brother?'

He was blatantly changing the subject but Isabella knew better than to try and change it back - she didn't want to get in a fight with him; they were more likely to get caught that way.

'Do you really want to know?' she asked suspiciously and his eyes flashed with hurt.

'Yes,' he answer simply, pulling her over to the piano bench and down onto it.

'He's a mess,' she answered honestly, turning from him so she could rest her head on his shoulder, one of his arms had stayed around her waist as they moved and now squeezed her gently. 'His girlfriend - Mary-Alice Brandon, have you heard of her? -'

'Cancer victim?' Alec asked in clarification and Isabella wondered if that was all Mary-Alice was known for.

'Yes,' she answered before continuing on with what she was saying, explaining to him what had her brother in distress, 'well, her step-mother refuses to pay for the treatment to make her better even though she has more than enough money and we're trying to help but we can't afford it and she's worse and worse. Jazz, can't take it anymore. If something isn't done soon, I'm sure he's going to lose it.'

Alec looked down at her for a while, she would feel his gaze on her head but when he didn't speak, she tapped gently on the piano, making a little tune while she waited for him to organise his thoughts.

'Can I help at all?' her fingers slipped on the keys in surprise and she turned to look at him: his face was genuine, his enchanting eyes shining with concern.

'What could you do?' Isabella asked, brushing it off - she couldn't ask him to do anything, she could hardly even believe he offered but he was probably just being polite.

'Honestly,' he muttered, 'if I could, Isabella, I'd pay for the treatment myself -'

'Why?' Isabella cut him off in surprise. 'Why would you do that?'

'Because jerk you may still think I am -'

'I don't think you're a jerk!' she interrupted him again but he paid her no heed.

'- but what her step-mother's doing is wrong. I would but I can't. My father would never allow it … I could order her step-mother to pay it, that might work, I could try and talk the doctors into giving it to her for free, I could beg my father but that's really a last resort, I could -'

Isabella stared at him as he spoke, not believing a word she was hearing… maybe she did still expect the worst from him, expecting him to turn back into that arrogant prince she first met. She felt a smile slip onto her face as he listed of things he would do when suddenly a though hit her: she loved this boy. With that thought leading her, she leant forward very slightly and closed the gap between their lips, effectively shutting him up. She broke it quickly.

'What was that for?' Alec questioned, smiling down at her and brushing a blond strand away from her face.

'I love you,' she admitted to him breathlessly and he stared at her, her heart clenched as she waited for him to reply.

'I …' he seemed to struggle with the words, 'I love you too.'

He leant forward to kiss her but she stopped him, feeling bad if she didn't tell him her other bit of information.

'Wait,' she whispered and he obeyed hovering inches for her lips, his forehead against hers and she gripped his open jacket to make sure he didn't move. 'There's something else. When my father is released, which Charlie tells me he will be soon, I'm leaving this job.' (Alec froze in front of her, pulling back ever so slightly.) 'I took it because we needed money to keep us going while he was gone but now he's back we won't need it and I have exams coming up that I need to study for that I won't get to do if I keep this job. Please understand.'

'What's to understand?' Alec said hoarsely, 'but you do realise, of course, that the moment you leave the palace for good this, us, ends. There's no way we could keep it up.'

Isabella felt tears well in her eyes, 'it was always going to end, Alec, we both knew that.'

'Because I have to marry a bloody princess,' he scowled.

'Language,' Isabella muttered and his lips quirked slightly. 'We always knew this would end.'

She repeated it to remind him.

'What if I don't want a princess,' Alec practically growled, taking her face in his hands. 'What if I want you?'

Isabella squeezed her eyes shut causing a few tears to fall and she licked her lips gently as they had become dry. She shook her head, trying to speak but finding she couldn't. She swallowed.

'Too bad,' she whispered, twisting her face out of his hands and looking down at the keys in front of her, seeing her tears drip onto it.

He _wanted _her, _her_ over a princess, and they couldn't have it. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, but it was the way life worked - Isabella knew far better than Alec that life wasn't fair, it never was. It didn't matter who you were, what status your family help, how good a person you were, life wasn't fair to anybody, at least not all the time, and this was their Life's not fair moment. The one Isabella was sure would haunt her and break her more than her family's poverty did, more than Mary- Alice's illness did, more than Rosalie's attack because this was about the boy _she _loved and somehow he had already risen above her family.


	8. Chapter 8

Her father returned about a week later and she was the first to greet him, throwing herself quite literally into his arms causing him to stumble backwards. The rest of the family had heard the door open and his grunt as she hit him at full forced and soon the whole family was gathered around, kissing and hugging him tightly.

'King Aro came to see me,' he told them as they were eating dinner and Isabella tensed. 'He told me the only reason he was letting me go was because his son had implored him to.'

The whole family looked surprised, even Isabella, though she could feel a smile creeping up on her face.

'I though you said the prince was a jerk, Izzy,' Rosalie remembered and Isabella looked up at her disinterestedly.

'Maybe he had a change of heart,' she muttered and Rosalie gasped.

'No!' she yelped. "You boy problem was about him!'

Everyone's heads swivelled to Isabella in surprised waiting for her to confirm or deny what Rosalie had said. Her face burned.

'I don't know what you're talking about Rose,' she replied but her blush had given her away.

'Izzy?' her father asked and she looked up into his blue eyes knowing she couldn't and shouldn't lie to him about this. She sighed heavily.

'Fine,' she complained, placing her knife and fork on the table. She pursed her lips and ran her tongue along the back of her teeth as she thought what to tell them. 'He loves me, Daddy, and I return that love.'

They all looked at her and she wondered what they were thinking, her face was still burning with their gazes. Her mother's sigh broken the silence.

'Oh, Izzy,' she said softly obviously understanding how her youngest must be feeling right now. A boy loved her and she loved him but she couldn't be with him because of his status. Her daughter avoided everyone's gaze - she was more a suffer in silence type.

'When's the wedding, Rose?' Isabella asked diagonally across table to her elder sister but she shook her head.

'No way, Izzy, we're talking about you right now,' Rosalie replied in her typical "I'm your elder sister, listen to me" voice. She was truly screwed if Rosalie wasn't going to take attention away from her. 'What were you thinking?'

'Rose,' Esmerelle warned softly.

'You must have known that could have only end badly!' Rosalie continued as though their mother hadn't spoken. 'You're supposed to be the clever one here, the logical one, the one who doesn't jump into things with thinking them through - where was your head?'

Jasper placed a hand on Isabella's under back, 'leave her alone, Rose. She was happy.'

Isabella looked at her father to see if she decipher from his eyes what he thought of this new bit of information but they were unfathomable. He reached out a hand for her and she placed her on in it allowing him to squeeze it gently.

Rosalie was ranting still.

'That's enough, Rose,' he said calmly. 'I'm sure Izzy had her reasons, like you said, she doesn't just jump into things.'

Isabella smiled up at her father as Rosalie closer her mouth, he gave her a soft smile but a look that job her that he wanted a word about this later. Dinner continued smoothly after that. Rosalie told them that she and Emmett wanted to get married in the summer soon after Isabella finished her exams. In fact, she and Emmett had spoken a great deal about the wedding. She wanted Isabella to be her maid of honour, which had resulted in Isabella hugging her and gushing in happiness. They wanted to have it in the family church which of course was agreed to without comment and she wanted them to all have dinner together before the wedding. This caused a bit more of a problem - anything that involved food always caused problems.

They stayed up late that night, trying to savour as much time with Carlisle as they could but eventually they fell back into their old ways. Her family still didn't understand what she had held for Alec but they let it go. They could see the pain not having him was causing her but she distracted herself: spent more time with her father than she had before, "making up for lost time" she said; she took up painting and learnt that she had inherited her mother's talent; taught her to play the piano; she immersed herself in books of other lands escaping into them whenever she had a spare minute so her brain couldn't wonder; and helped Rosalie as much as possible with the wedding. She never had a spare minute anymore and when she did she filled it instantly. The rest of the Cullen's were worried about her, worried that if she kept this up she would never be able to get over the prince but they couldn't find a way to help her.

Months passed and she passed her exams with flying colours - having transferred most of her time over to revision - she was a clever girl anyway and with all the preparation finished top of her year. She was proud of herself as was everyone for her but still her eyes didn't hold the same sparkle.


	9. Chapter 9

The wedding rolled around and a sense of joy descended on the whole family, Rosalie was particularly in her element since the day was all about her. It was the morning of the wedding and Carlisle was already at the church with Jasper making sure everything was reading leaving Rosalie, Emerelle and Isabella alone in the house. Isabella stumbled downstairs yawning and was met at the sight of an unsmiling Rosalie.

'What's wrong?' Isabella panicked, thinking the worst as her sister's sad face. 'What's happened?

'I have news,' she whispered, banging to envelops against her hand, 'and I don't know if I should tell you this before the wedding or later but -'

'What is it, Rose?' Isabella asked feeling a sense of dread flow over her.

'Prince Alec is to be married,' she said her voice still low and Isabella felt that she had just been punched in the gut. She stumbled back and sat on a low step, Rosalie came towards her, handing her the two envelops. 'This came through the post with this.'

Isabella took them and realised that instead of two envelops, one was actually just a piece of card. She flipped it over and read the words with a sickening feeling in her stomach.

_"The King of England is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Alec to Princess Clara of Scotland,_

_The wedding will take place in the spring of next year in London."_

Isabella took a deep breath trying not to cry on her sister's wedding day and quickly opened the envelop that her name scrawled on it in a fancy script that she knew as Alec's just to distract her. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know what he had to say - she hadn't seen him since she quit her job.

_"Izzy, I love you" _was what it started off with and Isabella squeezed her eyes shut before continuing_ "and I think Clara knows that my heart belongs to another but there's nothing either of us can do about it - I have to marry her or risk disgracing the family, Jane's already caused enough problems. I need to see you before I lose you forever, please, Izzy, please. Come to me on the first day of December, I will meet you behind your father's church. I love you, I always will, remember that, if you remember nothing else remember that."_

He didn't even sign the letter and Isabella just sat there on the bottom step staring at his handwriting instead of the words. He wanted to see her - why? What could he possibly want from her now? She couldn't go, she knew, she couldn't, it would hurt too much and it was best to keep her distance from him for she would have to.

'Izzy?' Rosalie asked softly, brushing a gentle hand through her younger sister's hair.

'Don't you have a wedding to be getting ready for?' Isabella smiled up at her tearfully. 'Isn't there a lot of wedding/bride stuff you could be doing right now?'

'Yeah, but there's a sister thing I want to be doing too,' Rosalie replied with a soft smile that she reserved for Isabella alone. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine.'

'You've always been a terrible liar.'

'I know,' Isabella quirked a smile. 'Can we just pretend this didn't happen and deal with it later? You should be getting ready!'

'For my wedding,' Rosalie beamed down at her seeming in another world now, she bounced on her toes. 'I'm getting married!'

They both giggled as Esmerelle came out the kitchen, a beaming smile on her face. The rest of the morning was filled with them all getting ready - the wedding was at midday. It wasn't going to be much the wedding, they couldn't afford it, but they were going to have the ceremony which ended in them being married which was all that they really wanted. There would also be a little time to celebrate but there wasn't going to be food and drinks like wine, it was literally congratulating them and then dancing until they left for their honeymoon.

'Are you ready?' their fathers voice sounded from behind Rosalie and Isabella just before the wedding.

'Of course, Dad,' Rosalie grinned back at him as she and her little sister turned to face him.

'You two look beautiful,' he observed making his way toward them but the way he said it made it sound as though this was nothing new.

He was right though. Rosalie was dressed in a draping organza gown with a asymmetric skirt and a sweetheart neckline. There were beaded touches around the waist in rose inspired flowers. The white fabric flowed into a little chapel train. Her hair was done up elegantly and she was even wearing makeup, a luxury for their family. It was the cleanest Isabella had ever seen her sister.

At that moment, the organ started: this was Edward's part in the wedding. Isabella tripped gracefully for once toward her sister, standing on her tip toes to kiss her cheek. Once she sent a grin to her father, she turned to head down the aisle. She walked slowly in time with Edward's playing trying to make sure she didn't fall over her floor-length lilac dress which was beautiful with the surplice bodice and draped sleeves.

She beamed at Emmett as she walked down the aisle so please her sister had chosen him. He was exactly what she needed: cheerful, childish, optimistic and loving to her loyal, naïve, self-centred and short-tempered personality. He was handsome too, tall and burly but innocent. He was 6ft 5, had slightly curly dark brown hair that was almost black, his eyes were a deep, dark blue in contrast to Rosalie's light, crystal ones and when he smiled, like he was in that moment, he had dimples just like Rosalie's friend Vera's son had..

He winked at Isabella as she took her place on the other side of alter from him and she wrinkled her nose playfully in reply but then Edward changed the music and they both turned to see Rosalie start walking down the aisle on Carlisle's arm. Isabella was sure her sister never looked more beautiful than she did right them with a beaming smile of happiness on her face, her eyes sparkling with joy and love. The church wasn't large so it didn't take Rosalie long to reach them but Isabella was sure it seemed like a life time for Rosalie and Emmett. Their father handed her other with a kiss on the cheek before taking his place in the centre of the alter ready to perform the ceremony. Rosalie handed Isabella her bouquet as she turned to face Emmett.

Rosalie's wedding was beautiful, despite the insufficient funds because that wasn't what made a wedding a wedding. Isabella glanced around as the couple kissed on her father's words that they now could with a wide smile on her face and clapping with everyone else. Her eyes scanned the room but then jumped back to one specific point. Hidden at the back she could see Alec and she wondered how no one else had noticed him but then a thought struck her that maybe no one else was aware of him as she was, no one else knew how he hid so others wouldn't see or recognise him.

Before she could catch his eye though, Rosalie and Emmett broke apart - a good thing because the guests were beginning to get uncomfortable with their, turning inappropriate, show of affection. They turned to face the crowd who got to their feet clapping before beginning to make their way down the aisle. Isabella smiled as she took the best man's arm, Emmett's eldest brother Jackson, and followed them down. She could feel Alec's eyes on her the whole way but tried to ignore it - he was now engaged and she needed to let him go.

She couldn't though and sought him out as Rosalie and Emmett were sharing their first dance and the crowd had gathered to watch.

'Gate crashing, your highness?' she asked sneaking up behind him and using his title to try and distance herself from him already.

He turned around slowly and though he seemed slightly hurt by the title he didn't mention it or show any sign that she had ever called him anything else (she read the hurt in his eyes).

'Honestly,' he spoke, his voice low, 'you weren't supposed to seem me … how are you?'

His sea blue eyes burned into her desperately and she tried to control the urge to reach out to him or even take a step closer

'Good,' was all she said in reply. 'What about you?

'Trapped,' he told her and Isabella looked away, breaking the connection with his eyes.

'I'm sorry,' she said and he swallowed at her polite but detached tone.

He took a step forward bringing her gaze back to him and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her closer so she was only inches away from her. She stared up at him, a blush beginning to rise on her cheeks and she was glad they were in a dark corner and everyone was distracted.

'Izzy, please,' he whispered and she shook her head: she wasn't going to let herself be drawn in, even if it was just speaking, she needed to distance herself from him and he needed to let her do that - he was engaged now, for heaven's sake.

'What are you doing here, your highness?' this time he flinched and Isabella tried not to notice that stab of pain that sent through her.

'I honestly don't know,' he muttered in reply, releasing her and she took a step away from him.

'Well,' Isabella said formally beginning to feel tears close her throat in, 'in that case, since you have nothing to say, I best get back to my sister's wedding. Goodbye, you highness.'

She curtsied very gently not looking at him and walked away quickly, her head held high as she swallowed trying not to cry. Emmett and Rosalie had finished dancing and he know came over to her, giving her a teasing bow. Feeling a smile creep up on her face at her new brother-in-law's antics despite her feelings, she took his outstretched hand and curtsied to him as well, allowing him to spin her under his arm and into a dancing position.

When Isabella glanced back at the place Alec had been, he was gone and Isabella sighed heavily.

'Bye, Al,' she whispered too low for anyone, even Emmett, to hear.


	10. Chapter 10

Four months later and winter was upon them. The fires in Isabella house were lit constantly and Jasper was constantly out in the woods gathering more firewood for both them and to sell. He didn't charge much for it because he knew how little people had around her and how much firewood was needed but it still made a bit on money in the winter.

Today was the day Alec had asked Isabella to meet him and despite her original "no" she somehow found herself wondering through the graveyard, her tatty fur clock wrapped tightly around her. She could see him at the end of the yard and made her way slowly toward him, her feet crunching on the snow that had fallen during the night. He had his back toward her to begin with but the crunching snow alerted him to someone coming and he turned slowly.

'Alec,' Isabella greeted softly and his face exploded into a grin.

'You came!' he sounded genuinely surprised and considering their last meeting Isabella wasn't surprised. She clutched her cloak closer.

'You're cold,' he observed and removed his own cloak, draping it around her shoulders. She began to protest but he silenced her with a look. 'My clothing is warm than yours anyway… god, I missed you.'

Isabella froze at his words but managed to look away. Was this why he wanted to see her? To torture her with words that implied his love for her and cause her more pain than being apart from him already was. She took a deep breath.

'I missed you too,' she admitted to him, giving him a soft smile. 'What are you doing here, Alec? Why do you want to see me?'

He shrugged.

''I just had too,' she raised her eyebrows in a way that said "really?!" and he continued speaking 'I had to do this at least once more.'

While she cocked her head to the side in confusion, he closed the two strides separating them and pressed his lips against her. She gasped in surprising and without really realising it she began to kiss him back. It took her a few minutes for her to click what was happening being surrounded by his scent, wrapped tightly in his arms and with his lips on hers it was like nothing had changed and part of her was content to pretend that it hadn't but she knew it would hurt more in the long run. She pulled gently.

'Alec,' she whispered and he quirked one side of his lips up in a half smile - he understood.

'… and I wanted to give you this,' he continued as though their kiss hadn't taken place and reached into his clothing a pulled out a thick envelop.

He handed it to her and she opened it, her mouth dropping at the contents. Inside the envelop was a thick wad of hundred pound notes, more money than Isabella would ever see again even if she lived a hundred years.

'What's this for?' she asked warily, staring up at him with wide eyes and he gave her that same half-smile.

'Mary-Alice,' he told her and she let out a breath that almost turned out into a smile. 'Maybe I can't have you but your brother should have the woman he loves if it's possible.'

'Thank you,' she whispered hoarsely resisting the urge to hug him and place a chaste kiss on his lips - that would get her nowhere. 'How did you get it? Why are you doing this?'

He didn't answer the first question but he did answer the second one, 'ever feel the need to just save someone?'

Isabella smiled up at him.

'All the time,' she admitted with a smile though she was shaking her head, 'but I don't think I ever succeed.'

Alec shuffled his feet in the snow, his gaze on them hands deep in his pockets before he looked up at her again.

'You saved me.'

'You're just saying that,' Isabella shook her head more forcefully - what did Alec need saving from?

'I'm not,' he said his voice as forceful as her head gesture had been and he took her hands, standing in front her powerfully. 'You saved me from myself, for that version of myself that most people despised_, _you made me a better person, someone deserving of the angel that you are.' (He paused as though debating whether or not to say something but when he did his voice was desperate) 'I'm changing back into that horrible guy, Izzy. I don't know what to do. You changed me for the better, I don't want to revert. Tell me what I should do because I just don't know anymore.'

Isabella squeezed his hands still not believing she had saved him from anything.

'I've never saved you, Alec,' she whispered, 'and even if I had, I can't help you anymore. If I had saved you, you wouldn't be trapped under your father and I can't save you anymore because you're not mine to save, I have no contact with you, I can't save someone who I don't see. If I had saved you, you'd be a lot happier right now.'

'Don't be stupid,' Alec replied his voice just as low as his hands moved to cup her face. 'You've made a difference, that's more than most people can hope to do in a lifetime.'

'It doesn't feel like it,' Isabella disagreed.

'Then just trust me on it.'

Isabella stared up at the man that she still loved and saw nothing in his enchanting eyes that suggested he was lying to her and she managed to make her lips twisted slightly into a smile. She opened her mouth to say something when Edward's voice called from the church.

'Izzy?' his voice echoed and both Isabella and Alec froze. 'Are you out there? Jazz is here, he has bad news!'

Isabella gasped, hoping it was nothing to do with Mary-Alice. She went to run toward the church when Alec grasped her hand causing her to look back at him. She slowly walked back, removing his cloak as she did, so she was standing right in front on him, inches between them. She handed him back his cloak.

'I love you, Alec,' she whispered staring up into his eyes. 'Thank you for the money, Jazz will be so happy. I'm really going to miss you… have a nice life, my kind, charming man.'

She raised herself onto her tiptoes so she could kiss his cheek, 'don't forget who you are. Don't lose yourself.'

As soon as her feet touched the ground she was sprinting away from him toward the church to find her whole family gathered into the small room to the side where on a Sunday they had refreshments.


	11. Chapter 11

'Jazz!' she spoke as soon as she entered the room, collapsing next to her brother on the floor, breathing heavily and with difficultly from her sprint across the graveyard. 'What happened?'

The family gathered in a circle around them. Esmerelle placed her hands on Jaspers shoulders in her attempt to give him some comfort. Isabella glanced around to see her father leaning on a table just by her, Edward holding his daughter in one of his arms, his other around Sophie and Rosalie was encircled in Emmett's arms, her head resting on his chest.

'A month,' he muttered with his head in his hands, 'she has a month.'

Esmerelle gasped and everyone else reacted in someone way expect Isabella who frowned, placing her arms around him gently.

'No,' she disagreed firmly, her teeth clenched together causing Jasper to look up at her. She handed him the envelop that Alec had given her with a steely look in her brown eyes. 'She's going to live.'

Just like she had, Jasper opened the envelop to see the thick amount of money, having taken it from her warily, and then turned to stare at her cautiously. What he was thinking, she wasn't sure, but hope had returned to eyes, hope that had petered out long ago. A grin slowly slipped onto his face as he stared at her.

'Where did you get this?' he asked incredulously - he had never seen that amount of money together at once either.

'Yes,' Esmerelle spoke from above them, her voice suspicious 'where did you get that much money, baby?'

Isabella met Rosalie's eyes and Rosalie sighed softly: Isabella couldn't keep away from that boy. She shook her head wondering why the Prince had just given them money to save a girl he'd probably never even met and began to wonder how much he loved her little sister. Enough to give her the money, that was sure, enough to not be able to stay away from her either.

'Alec,' Isabella whispered and at everyone's look she quickly began to explain. 'I didn't ask him- he just gave it to me!'

'Why?' Carlisle rose to his feet and stood above her so he could look exactly down on her and Isabella smiled up at him, thinking of Alec..

'He said he wanted to save someone,' she told them half of the reason with a soft shrug though she knew it was more than that.

They continued staring at her until Jasper stood up, sweeping her up into his arms. Her feet left the ground as he spun her around and they both laughed gently. She knew he was feeling more relief than she'd probably ever understand unless she learned to love someone as much as she did Alec. Jasper kissed her temple when he set her down, beaming at her wider than she had seen in months.

'Thank you,' he whispered, hugging her tightly once more before pulling back and gathering his stuff.

'Where are you going?' Edward asked as Jasper pulled on his coat and shoved his feet roughly in his boots.

'Where do you think?' Jasper snorted in reply. 'Alice's.'

They all grinned lightly as he ran out the door and watched after him until Carlisle came and rested his hands on Isabella's shoulders. She turned to look at him.

'Are you going to be alright?' he asked her gently, brushing her hair out of her face and she smiled, nodding very slightly.

'Of course,' she replied. 'Why wouldn't I be?'

Isabella met Mary-Alice for the first time about two months later and she was tiny, couldn't be any more than 5ft if she was even that. She was pretty though with dark brown eyes that still sparkled happily and she had a wide, addictive smile that drew you in. She was an optimistic person and a little crazy in her actions - constantly hyper. She had gushed a thank you and Isabella had brushed it aside. Jasper, it turned out, had proposed to her now that they knew they had a future and Mary-Alice was clearly over the moon about it since she was already thinking about it.

Isabella hit it off with her really well and since Mary-Alice was a great distraction from her thoughts about Alec, the two of them grew extremely close from all the time Isabella spent at the Brandon house. She met Cynthia who was nearly as bad as Mary-Alice on the happiness scale and was constantly following Isabella around the house. She didn't see their step-mother very much but the times that she did she got the strange feeling that the elder woman was angry at her for what she did, angry at her for saving Mary-Alice.

Another wedding that was constantly spoken about apart from Isabella's brother and was that of the man that she loved. An official date had been set for the royal wedding, 6th of July, and Isabella tried to ignore anything else about it, a difficult task with it being the talk of the city. She couldn't avoid the conversation topic and sometimes she wished she could just hole herself up in the house and escape - this boy had seriously broken her and she had no idea how to get back to the girl she was before meeting him.

She was seventeen now and had started college, studying literature, creative writing, sociology and health and social care, that September with Angela Webber who was her best friend but who didn't understand anything to do with what had Isabella troubled. Angela wasn't one to pry if you didn't want to talk about something and she was just as quiet as Isabella was which made them great companions for each other. She knew nothing of the "relationship" Isabella had had with Alec which meant that she didn't get the look that she got from her family at times - that she was wounded - but she also couldn't help Isabella with it a downside to her not knowing.


	12. Chapter 12

The rest of the till Alec's and Princess Clara's wedding passed quickly and soon, all too soon, it was two days before. Isabella was content to stay in bed and sleep the day away so she wouldn't have to deal with the festivities going on in the streets. Her mother had other ideas though and dragged her out of bed with her usual chores to do and after about an hour, when she was awake enough, Isabella had to agree she thought this was a good idea since her mind was busy with things besides the festivities.

Isabella was harvesting the food they grew in the yard when she first heard the news but she thought nothing of it assuming it was a mistake. It wasn't until she was in the market taking the fruit to a vender so he could sell it on past what they needed and she heard it again, that she tried to figure out what everything meant.. Whispers and gossiping all centred around the one person Isabella was trying desperately to keep out of her mind: the Prince Alec.

She only caught snippets on the conversation and managed to deduce that something was happening in the palace, something bad. The Princess Clara had fled the palace in tears apparently early in the morning and ever since the place had been abuzz. There were no soldiers on the streets because they were all either in the palace, surrounding it or searching for Princess Clara. This of course meant that the market wasn't a safe place to be and Isabella hurried back to the house before she got injured or robbed or anything of the like.

Her father met her at the door ushering her in, obviously he didn't want her out when the only authority figures were few and far between. The spent the rest of the day holed up in the house, it seemed silly but in their part of London the precautions were completely necessary if you wanted to get by with getting injured. The area was usually flocked with royal guards giving the place a prison like feel to it even though they left you alone if you didn't cause any trouble - they were there to scare you off committing crimes more than to punish those who did - that was Charlie's job.

The next day when Isabella woke, there was a steaming mug of hot chocolate by her bed, not doubt courtesy of her mother, and the fire was burning steadily, this was probably her father Isabella grinned and got up not bothering to get dressed as she grabbed to comforter of the bottom of her bed, the hot chocolate and a book and made her way toward the window - the fire was right next to it at a right angle. She curled up on her window sill and opened her book, perfectly content to stay there all day until she got hungry.

The house was silent around her and Isabella shuffled awkwardly as she realised that - it was never this quiet. She sighed heavily as she chucked the blanket off her and padded to her door pausing only to grab her dressing gown so she was a bit more presentable. She was a few strides from the door, her dressing gown just tied, when the door opened for her to reveal a handsome man a few feet taller than her, with sparkling blue/green eyes and chocolate brown hair that Isabella knew was extremely soft. She froze.

He stopped as well and simply stared at her. Isabella began to feel very conscious of the fact that she wasn't at all presentable and that this man was in her bedroom. She half wanted to ask him if they could step into the hallway, lounge or anywhere else but her throat had gone dry. She liked her dry lips and began to twist her ring around her finger, biting her bottom lip.

'Izzy,' he spoke as though a breeze of clean air had just washed over him.

Isabella swallowed thickly.

'Hello, Alec,' she practically whispered without meaning to. 'How did you get up here?'

'Your brother, Jasper I assume, warily allowed me up,' Alec told her, an amused half grin appearing on his face and Isabella couldn't help the small one that crept up on her own at the thought of Jasper's dilemma of whether or not to let him in.

'And what are you doing here?' Isabella asked another question and Alec took a deep breath, taking a step toward her.

She stepped back.

'The wedding's off,' he grinned sounding a little hoarse, 'and my father's furious with me for saying I want the law about royal marriage only being between royals abdicated and for calling of the wedding. Apparently, we needed the allegiance but I don't care.'

'What are saying?' Isabella backed up another step so she could sit down on her bed, which she now realised wasn't made - why did this boy make herself conscious about everything?

She quickly tightened the knot of her dressing gown. Alec came to kneel in front of her taking her hands in his warmer, softer - because he had probably never worked a day in his life - and bigger ones and looking imploringly up at her.

'Marry me.'

'I beg your pardon?' Isabella stared at him unmoving, half of her debating jumping away.

'Marry me, Izzy,' he said again and this time Isabella knew she had heard him correctly, 'because I'd rather die than live another day, another hour, another minute, without; because I love you; because I can barely function without you. I love you more than life itself so would please marry me?'

Isabella's lips twitched, 'you've lost your mind!'

'Maybe,' Alec grinned up at her, 'but this is what I want. I want you, forever.'

Isabella felt herself grin and looked away from him, shaking her head very gently. Not in answer to his question but just in amusement and surprise and just because she was complete dumbstruck by his pronouncement.

'I think you should ask someone else first,' she told him and he smiled a little bit more, 'but if _he _says yes, then I will - just don't tell him you've already asked me.'

'What?' it was Alec's turn to be struck dumb.

'I'll marry you,' Isabella grinned wider than she ever had been feeling giddiness well up inside her off.

Alec beamed back at her and cupped his face in his hands, pulling her down to kiss him. Isabella melted into the kiss, falling back into the familiar rhythm of kissing him, and slipped on the bed to kneel in front of him so they were closer. Isabella laughed against his lips and he pulled back laughing as well. Neither were really sure what was funny as the rested their foreheads together but they were content to laugh while they could because there was no way the king was going to be happy with the new arrangement.

**The End**.


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